October 2023
11 May 2021
Holey Holdings! Sizzle or Fizzle
SPOTLIGHT
It's the result of bad urban planning when city officials only listened to real estate developer speculation schemes that demolished more than 60 homes to destroy a neighborhood leaving 27 acres vacant, ugly and un-used and it's city-owned. City officials now own the damage done and have hired a group of consultants who tried to transform a part of downtown Gilbert's Heritage Area.
The history here on this infamous site - and all the problems - simply cannot be ignored now. . . Jeff McVay, the city's so-called "Director of Downtown Transformation" failed miserably two years wasting time-and-money on citizen input sessions that got nowhere.
Did the community already provide input on this site?
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BLOGGER NOTE: I only attended one of the workshops two years ago, observing the domination and control by the Mesa Grande/ANA (Action Neighborhood Alliance).
Likewise, once again, at the Steering Committee the same complaint was voiced for actions by the Mesa Grande/ANA (Action Neighborhood Alliance)
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Yes! There were two community meetings and a survey conducted in the summer of 2016. After those meetings, Mesa City Council asked that a consultant be hired to create conceptual master plans for the property with more community input. The consultant, Crandall Arambula, was hired in September 2018 and has received all of the input from 2016 for review.
This is their promise to fulfill the ____ contract:
“We will provide the Mesa community with maximum value for investment. We are passionate about assisting communities through our depth of experience and research, and we are committed to the long-term success of this project. The measure of that success will ultimately be the development of a vibrant community that is harmonious with greater Downtown Mesa. We look forward to working with you.”
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What makes your MesaZona blogger turn red is this statement just a few days ago made by Mesa Mayor John Giles:
"The city is not in the business of owning remnant, undeveloped pieces of properties, . . . "
WTF????
How wrong can Giles get spouting bullshit like that with blinders on when Site 17 has been an ugly eyesore for more than 30 years. He sees only what he wants to see and lacks any vision whatsoever unless it's fed to as bait.
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Some people who attended the first presentation have told me they were "disappointed" and that's putting it mildly to say the least!
Here's a link to the workshop six weeks ago where attendees were told to only submit written comments: https://www.mesaaz.gov/about-us/city-projects/downtown-transformation/university-mesa
Slick-and-slippery: The Process
29 March 2022
STIGMATIZED INFAMOUS SITE 17: A Relic of Downtown Bulldozing + Bad Urban Land-Use Planning
However it came to be known as The Mesa Verde Resort DebacleThis public statement made last year:
"The City of Mesa wishes to transform 27 acres of city-owned land at the SWC of University and Mesa Drive into 'a vibrant and cohesive urban mixed-use project' and is requesting a partner to help with that vision . . ."
Can city boondoggle be a downtown boon?
"Mesa City Council hopes this is the year to finally turn a downtown boondoggle into a boon for downtown. Council recently heard the latest development plan for 27 acres of city-owned land just north of Main Street near Phoenix Marriott Mesa that Mesa acquired through eminent domain, leveling 63 homes at a taxpayer cost of $6 million.
INSERT: Excerpt from earlier post
WHAT HAPPENED?
". . . On May 6, the City of Mesa issued a Request for Qualifications for a developer to help redevelop the currently vacant Opportunity Zone site, also known as Transform 17 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>If Mesa succeeds in bringing the long-dreamed redevelopment into reality with the city’s latest partner on the project, Miravista Holdings, it would make the third decade the charm for a prime piece of real estate that has long sat vacant.
- The city started purchasing property at the southwest corner Mesa and University Drives in 1996 and eventually acquired homes through eminent domain in order to make way for a 12-story water-park resort proposed by a Canadian developer.
- But the planned Mesa Verde water resort died after the developer failed to secure funding.
Since then, city planners have envisioned different types of projects for Site 17, as it’s been known, and hoped one developer after another would take up the mantle; but those deals all fell through. . .city planners are hoping 2022 is the year an agreement with a developer leads to shovels in the ground.
> Last year, the city signed a nine-month “exclusive dealings agreement” with Miravista Holdings to create a master plan for the parcel, which commands a critical location that is in walking distance from downtown attractions, light rail and the Arizona State University campus.
> Officials appeared cautiously optimistic that the multi-phase, mixed use development concocted by Miravista and architectural firm Gensler will come to fruition and keep the redevelopment project only on the drawing board for a fourth decade. . .
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